Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Harrison Moore & Ria Tesia

Three Lions fan treats body like passport and covers himself in 'travel tattoos' from 32 countries

A Three Lions fan treats his body like a passport - by covering it in tattooed stamps from 32 countries he has visited. Ian Odgers, 54, has been around the world watching the England national team.

He wanted something to remember each trip by, so he decided to get inked on his arms and legs. Ian, from Dereham, Norfolk, then showed photocopies from his passport to the tattoo artist.

He currently has tattoos from 32 countries and he's not done yet. The operations manager and dad-of-three said: "The experiences I've had across the years have been incredible.

"So I decided it would be cool to have a tattoo artist replicate the travel stamps on all my old passports on my arms and legs." Ian is a huge England football fan and has travelled all over the world supporting the Three Lions.

He says he hasn't missed an England qualification or friendly game for over a decade. He has also attended five international tournaments including the most recent World Cup in Qatar.

Subscribe here for the latest news where you live

Ian has also travelled to see bands and to take part in marathons. He got his first 'travel tattoo' in 2017 but decided to fully invest in 2022. He booked in for one session a month to get multiple passport stamps done.

Ian said: "I got my first stamps six years ago. Then I had a break and picked it up again last year.

"I had four sessions in four months where [tattoo artist] Tori filled up my whole arms and my right thigh. Each stamp holds a unique memory from the time I spent in that country and each one is personal to me.

"My first stamp was Malaysia and the last stamp I got done was Qatar. Sadly when I look at the latter all I can think of is Kane's penalty miss!"

Wife Ria Odgers, 55, accompanies Ian when she can. Ian said: "The football is something I follow alone, but me and Ria love attending international gigs together.

Ian's first stamp was Malaysia, and the most recent one was Qatar, which he 'sadly associates with Kane's penalty miss' (SWNS)

"I have also run 38 marathons abroad, and she has travelled far and wide to support me. Travelling has been such a big part of my life, and I wanted to find a way of combining that with my love for tattoos."

Ian had his tattoos done at Living Colour where he hopes to return for some more work - after his next trip. He said: "We're planning a trip to South America soon and I'm already planning for the next World Cup.

"There's still a bit of space on my arms and underneath my neckline for more stamps from the adventures to come." Ian has stamps from visits to Malaysia, Spain, North America, Philippines, Argentina Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Jordan, Qatar, Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, Morocco, Finland, Germany, Montenegro, Canada, Mauritius, Kenya, Thailand, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Maldives, Slovakia, Ireland, Cyprus, Turkey, Lithuania and France.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.